Friday, 27 May 2011

easyJet takes delivery of its 200th Airbus aircraft

Europe’s largest Airbus Single Aisle operator keeps growing

easyJet, have marked becoming the world’s youngest and quickest airline to reach a fleet of 200 Airbus aircraft at a ceremony in Toulouse. Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO, Jean-Paul Ebanga, CFM International President and CEO, and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO were present at the event.

To celebrate the 200th Airbus, easyJet and Airbus unveiled an A320 in a unique all orange colour scheme. Its maiden flight with passengers from Toulouse for Paris and then onto London was appropriately given flight number EZY200.

“Our ambition is to become Europe’s preferred airline. We’re already Britain’s’ biggest – carrying more passengers than the others put together. We aim to Turn Europe Orange and the special livery on our 200th aircraft embodies that ambition!,’ said Carol Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO

“The tremendous success achieved by easyJet in growing to be one of Europe’s major carriers, and one of Airbus’ top A320 Family customers in just eight years is unique and impressive. We congratulate easyJet and thank their management for the loyalty and support they have given to Airbus, and we are looking forward to continuing our excellent cooperation in the future,” said Tom Enders

easyJet already operates the world’s largest fleet of A319s with over 166 in service today. Including their A320s, which have recently joined the fleet, the airline has grown to be Europe’s largest A320 Family operator. Since easyJet took delivery of its first Airbus aircraft (an A319) in September 2003, Airbus has delivered an aircraft on average every 14 days over the last eight years.

With over 7,000 aircraft ordered, and more than 4,600 aircraft delivered to over 330 customers and operators worldwide, the A320 Family is today the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family.

By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, May 23rd 2011 12:26Z, last updated Monday, May 23rd 2011 12:26Z

An Aegean Airbus A321-200, registration SX-DGA performing flight A3-618 from Athens (Greece) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 182 passengers, reported a bird strike upon takeoff from Athen's runway 03R but continued the climb. At FL160 the crew levelled off reporting an unusual sound, subsequently decided to return to Athens after burning off some fuel to get below maximum landing weight and landed safely on runway 03R about 55 minutes after departure.

By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, May 23rd 2011 09:12Z, last updated Monday, May 23rd 2011 12:38Z

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration 9V-SKD performing flight SQ-321 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Singapore (Singapore), was enroute at FL350 about 10nm east of Amsterdam (Netherlands) when the crew decided to return to London Heathrow where the aircraft landed over weight on runway 27R about 50 minutes later. The airplane burst 6 tyres upon landing.

Singapore Airlines reported: "SQ321 (London-Singapore), with over 400 passengers onboard, turned back to Heathrow Airport on 20 May 2011, after an electrical fault was detected. Six of the aircraft's tyres burst due to a heavy landing, but at no point was passenger safety at risk. Accommodation was provided to the affected passengers, and they were rebooked on other flights. The aircraft was later declared serviceable and was flown back to Singapore."

The incident aircraft departed for flight SQ-321D after about 20 hours on the ground in London.

Passenger Nick reported the lights on the right hand side of the cabin extinguished and the inflight entertainment system ceased. No unusual sounds, vibrations, jolts or smells were observed (although ground personnel the next day hinted there may have been an engine failure involved, Nick however rated the ground staff as unreliable source of information). The crew announced they had an electrical power failure and were returning to Heathrow as a precaution. Landing was smooth, the airplane taxied to a gate where the passengers disembarked normally through the L1 door.

By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, May 23rd 2011 14:03Z, last updated Monday, May 23rd 2011 14:03Z

A Rossiya Airbus A320-200, registration VQ-BDQ performing flight FV-815 (dep May 21st) from Saint Petersburg (Russia) to Bishkek (Kyrgystan) with 141 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute near Chelyabinsk (Russia) when a female passenger suffered a fit and lost consciousness, a doctor on board suspected a possible epileptic fit. The crew diverted to Chelyabinsk for a safe landing, the woman was taken to a local hospital.

The airplane reached Bishkek with a delay of about 2 hours.

The hospital reported the woman on the way to recovery. An epilepsy related event has been ruled out, the exact cause of the fit is still to be determined.

Accident: South African A342 near Cape Town on May 23rd 2011, leaking cargo injures 5

By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, May 24th 2011 13:50Z, last updated Tuesday, May 24th 2011 13:50Z

A South African Airways Airbus A340-200, registration ZS-SLA performing flight SA-333 from Johannesburg to Cape Town (South Africa) with 231 people on board, was enroute about one hour prior to estimated landing in Cape Town when passengers began coughing inexplicably. The crew continued to Cape Town for a safe landing. Hazmat teams attended the aircraft after arrival, 5 people reported feeling ill, 3 of them were taken to a hospital.

The hazmat teams found some hazardeous cargo had spilled in the cargo compartment as result of not being properly secured into place causing chemical fumes to reach to the cabin.

South African Airways confirmed 2 crew members and one passenger were admitted to a local hospital.

By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, May 19th 2011 16:31Z, last updated Thursday, May 19th 2011 16:32Z

A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N583JB performing flight B6-180 (dep May 16th) from Phoenix,AZ to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 151 passengers and 5 crew, was on approach to New York's runway 04R descending through 13000 feet when the crew reported a lightning strike. A minute later the crew declared emergency reporting they now were smelling smoke in the cockpit and needed to land as soon as possible. The crew landed safely on runway 04R about 10 minutes later. After landing the crew reported the smell had dissipated, emergency services reported everything appeared normal, the aircraft began to taxi towards the apron when one of the fire trucks reported a suspicious line on the side of the fuselage causing suspicions of a possible crack. The line was also found on the other side of the fuselage and suspected to be part of an (old) paint scheme. The aircraft taxied to the apron.

The aircraft had been enroute at FL330 until abeam Albuquerque,NM then descended to FL260 for the remaining cruise portion of the flight.

Incident: Spanair A320 over Belgium on May 20th 2011, loss comm

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, May 20th 2011 14:21Z, last updated Friday, May 20th 2011 14:21Z

A Spanair Airbus A320-200, registration EC-JJD performing flight JK-57 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Stockholm (Sweden), was enroute at FL360 over Belgium when radio communication between aircraft and air traffic control was lost after the airplane was handed off to Dutch ATC around 13:20L (11:20Z). Two Dutch F-16 fighter aircraft were dispatched to intercept the aircraft and were heard in the Netherlands by their sonic boom. After the fighter pilots established visual contact with the Spanair crew the Spanair pilots were able to restore radio contact. The airplane was escorted out of Dutch air space into German airspace and continued to Stockholm, where the aircraft landed safely on schedule.

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, May 20th 2011 23:25Z, last updated Friday, May 20th 2011 23:25Z

A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N537JT performing flight B6-819 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with 150 passengers, was enroute at FL350 about 160nm south of New York about 45 minutes into the flight when the captain got aware of a passenger who insisted of being entitled to use a cabin crew seat in the cabin. The passenger, reported to be a TSA screener, was travelling on a staff pass he had gotten from a friend working for Jetblue. The captain decided to return to New York where the aircraft landed safely about 2.5 hours after departure. The unruly passenger was offloaded.

The aircraft departed again and reached Santo Domingo with a delay of 4.5 hours.

Incident: TAM A321 near Salvador on May 20th 2011, bomb hoax

By Simon Hradecky, created Saturday, May 21st 2011 15:41Z, last updated Saturday, May 21st 2011 15:41Z

A TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A321-200, registration PT-MXE performing flight JJ-3603 from Porto Seguro,BA to Salvador,BA with 129 passengers and further on to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil), was enroute when a male passenger (45) claimed to have planted a bomb aboard. The crew continued to Salvador for a safe landing, the passenger was arrested.

A search of the aircraft and luggage found no traces of explosives.

The airplane continued the journey to Sao Paulo reaching the destination with a delay of 3 hours

Incident: United A319 near Chicago on May 21st 2011, hydraulic problem

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, May 22nd 2011 11:02Z, last updated Sunday, May 22nd 2011 11:02Z

A United Airlines Airbus A319-100, flight UA-337 from Orlando,FL to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA) with 128 people on board, was on a downwind for Chicago's runway 10 when the crew reported a hydraulic problem. The crew extended the downwind and performed a safe landing on runway 10 about 8 minutes later.

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Airbus single aisle production to increase to 42 per month in Q4 2012

Reflects strong order backlog and continued stable growth

Airbus will increase the production rate of its popular A320 Family of eco-efficient single-aisle aircraft to 42 aircraft per month in the fourth quarter of 2012. Currently Airbus produces 36 A320 Family aircraft each month, a production rate that will steadily rise to 38 in August 2011 and to 40 in the first quarter of 2012. Currently the production rate for Airbus’ long-range A330 Family is 8.5 per month, increasing to nine in early 2012 and ten in the second quarter of 2013.

“The low operating costs and high dispatch reliability offered by the A320 Family make it the best seller in its market” said Tom Williams, Executive Vice President Programmes. “With a backlog of over 2,300 A320 Family aircraft to deliver, we need to increase production to accommodate continuing strong customer demand for these new eco-efficient aircraft”.

Airbus delivered a total of 510 aircraft in 2010, including 401 A320 Family aircraft. By the end of April, Airbus had already delivered 132 A320 Family aircraft and is well on track to exceed previous years’ deliveries.

To keep the A320 Family in the leadership position, Airbus has recently introduced a new engine option (neo) for the A320 Family which will enter into service in October 2015. The A320neo Family incorporates new more efficient engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. This will represent some 3,600 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft, per year. In addition, the A320neo will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise, thus being a good neighbour at any airport where airlines will operate the aircraft.

The A320neo will have over 95 percent airframe commonality with the existing models making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) more range or two tonnes more payload. Engines offered on the A320neo are CFM International’s LEAP-X and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Each aircraft features fly by wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range. Over 7,000 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 4,600 delivered to almost 330 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best selling commercial jetliner ever. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerized cargo system, which is compatible with the worldwide standard wide-body system.

Korean Air celebrates delivery of its first A380

Carrier to become sixth operator of world's most eco-efficient aircraft

Korean Air has celebrated the delivery of its first A380 at a special ceremony at Airbus in Toulouse today. The ceremony was attended by Korean Air Chairman Yang Ho Cho and hosted by Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders. EADS CEO Louis Gallois was also present at the event. Korean Air is the sixth airline to take delivery of the A380 and has ordered a total of 10 aircraft.

Korean Air will initially operate the A380 from its Seoul hub to selected destinations in Asia, followed by non-stop services to North America and Europe. The airline has specified an extra-spacious layout for its A380 fleet, with accommodation for 407 passengers in three classes. Special features on board the aircraft include the world's first ever duty free showcase area and a stylish onboard bar and lounge on the upper deck for premium passengers.

"Korean Air was the first airline to purchase an Airbus aircraft outside Europe and they have now become an essential part of our fleet,” said Yang Ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air. “The exceptional, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly A380 that is being delivered today is perfect to assist Korean Air in advancing our goal of becoming a respectedleading global carrier.”

"We are extremely proud to welcome Korean Air as the latest operator of the A380," said Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus. "The A380 has proven to be a game changer, setting new standards for comfort, economic efficiency and respect for the environment. We are confident that the A380 will play a key role in enabling Korean Air to further strengthen its position as one of the world's great airlines."

Since entering service in 2007 the eco-efficient A380 has exceeded all expectations, flying more people further at lower cost. The spacious, quieter cabin and smooth ride have made the aircraft a firm favourite with passengers. This has resulted in higher than average load factors and increased profitability on A380 flights, providingairlines with a key competitive advantage wherever they operate the type.

Typically seating 525 passengers in a three class layout, the A380 is capable of flying 8,300 nautical miles or 15,300 kilometres. This enables non-stop service with a full payload from Seoul to any destination in Europe, and as far afield as the East Coast of the US.

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Emirates look to be about to order more A380's as per the below attached article.......................

Emirates Growth Set To Anger European Airlines

May 11, 2011

Emirates plans to fly to more places and order more planes, ignoring claims of unfair competition from rivals, the airline's chairman said on Tuesday.
The airline's aggressive expansion has been criticised by European carriers who say the Dubai-based company and other Gulf carriers are effectively subsidised, provoking fears that Gulf-based superjumbos will draw traffic from their hubs.
Emirates, which is state-owned, will soon fly to "several hundred destinations" from 111 locations now, Emirates' Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said after the airline reported a 52-percent jump in 2010 profits.
"I'm sure this will make a lot of people unhappy but the market is there to grow. Airlines in Europe don't want to see us there because we are giving them competition. But we get good market share because of the product," he said.
"We have big plans. We will operate more to North and South America and also Asia," he added.
Sheikh Ahmed indicated that Emirates would announce new aircraft orders at the Dubai Airshow in November.
Dubai has led the charge in a war of words between North American and European carriers and their Gulf rivals over subsidies, export credits and landing rights, blaming their woes on "parasitic" taxes.
"If they spend as much time running their business as they do trying to run us down they might make even more money," Emirates president Tim Clark said last year.
The UAE failed to gain greater access for Emirates and Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways in Canada last year, leading to tension between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa has asked that Emirates be denied landing slots at Berlin's new airport.Emirates is the largest customer for the Airbus A380 superjumbo and has so far ordered 90 of the aircraft. It plans to increase its fleet to eventually include 120 A380s, from the 15 it currently flies.That could turn the European aviation market upside down."If Emirates continue to execute as they have done they will force a restructuring of the industry simply by deploying the 90 or so A380s they have on order or in service," Sudeep Ghai, a partner at London-based Athena Aviation, said.
"Expect other markets to start making even more protectionist noises than they have been in defence of their local carriers."

New scheduled route between Athens - New York to start on June 24th, 2011. (5/5/2011)

Hellenic Imperial Airways is pleased to announce the commencement of its new weekly and direct scheduled flights, Athens (ATH) - New York (JFK) - Athens (ATH), as of Friday 24th of June 2011.

Flights will depart from Athens every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 17:30 (local time), arriving in New York at 21:30 (local time).
Return flights will depart from New York on the same days, at 23:30 (local time), arriving in Athens at 17:00 (local time) the next day.

By the end of this week, you will be able to book your flight or obtain any additional information directly through our booking engine at www.hellenicairways.com or through your preferred travel agent.

In case you would like to communicate with one of our representatives, you can call our Head office toll-free at 800-11-08080 or for the USA call toll-free, 1- 855-HELLAS1 (855-4355271)

We look forward to welcoming you soon on board of our aircraft Airbus 340-300.

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, May 8th 2011 22:06Z, last updated Sunday, May 8th 2011 22:06Z

A LAN Airlines Airbus A318-100, registration CC-CVV performing flight LU-204 from Concepcion to Santiago (Chile), rejected takeoff at low speed after the right hand engine (PW6124) failed. The airplane slowed safely and returned to the apron.

A replacement aircraft reached Santiago with a delay of 5 hours

Incident: Vueling A320 near Vienna on May 8th 2011, lightning strike

By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, May 9th 2011 11:30Z, last updated Monday, May 9th 2011 11:30Z

A Vueling Airbus A320-200, registration EC-HQJ performing flight VY-8710 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Vienna (Austria), was holding at 6000 feet over Lake Neusiedl about 25nm south of Vienna Airport when the aircraft was struck by two lightnings. The crew subsequently continued for a safe landing on Vienna's runway 11 at 13:50L (11:50Z).

The return flight VY-8711 was cancelled, the incident aircraft is still (May 9th 11:00Z) on the ground in Vienna. Austrianwings reported the aircraft received damage in the lightning strikes and is awaiting repairs.

According to lightning recordings only two lightings were registered in the region at the time of the incident.

A frontal weather system with strong gusting winds, heavy rain and windshear was moving across the area and Vienna Airport at the time of the incident causing delays and holding

By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, May 10th 2011 15:23Z, last updated Tuesday, May 10th 2011 15:25Z

An Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-100, registration OE-LBB performing flight OS-601 from Vienna (Austria) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) with 175 passengers, was enroute about 40nm east of Krakow (Poland) when the crew decided to return to Vienna due to the failure of the lavatories on board. The airplane landed safely on Vienna's runway 16 about 70 minutes later.

By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, May 10th 2011 16:02Z, last updated Tuesday, May 10th 2011 16:02Z

A United Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N801UA performing flight UA-273 from Phoenix,AZ to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), was enroute at Fl350 near Kirkville,MO around 04:00L (09:00Z) when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence. The crew continued to Chicago where the aircraft landed safely about 40 minutes later.

The FAA reported a flight attendant received injuries during the severe turbulence encounter.

By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, May 10th 2011 17:55Z, last updated Tuesday, May 10th 2011 17:55Z

An Iberia Airbus A340-600, registration EC-JPU performing flight IB-6673 from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Caracas (Venezuela) with 242 passengers, was enroute at FL310 about 100nm southwest of Madrid when a windshield cracked prompting the crew to descend the aircraft to FL160 and return to Madrid for a safe landing about 100 minutes later.

Sunday, 8 May 2011

Frontier Airlines parent Republic Airways Holdings has placed an aircraft place holder deposit with Airbus for the re-engined A320neo, according to a company executive.

Speaking during a 3 May earnings call Republic controller Joe Allman explained of the $19.9 million investment activities conducted by the company during the first quarter, $8 million entailed "a place holder deposit on Airbus neo aircraft".

A spokesperson from Republic was not immediately able to expand on Allman's comments. Currently, Frontier operates 54 Airbus A320 family aircraft, and has nine of the type on order according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.

Republic also ordered 40 Bombardier CSeries CS300s in February 2010 powered by the Pratt & Whitney 1524G geared turbofan, supplying a much needed boost to Bombardier's narrowbody aircraft programme.
P&W is also one of the engine suppliers for the A320neo, and so far the 1100G has secured all the firm engine orders from customers that have made engine selections.

Previously, Republic has said it planned to align CSeries delivery dates with expiration dates on A319s exiting Frontier's fleet. Currently, Republic is scheduled to receive its first CSeries aircraft in the second quarter of 2015.

Airbus, meanwhile, has recently advanced the A320neo's service entry to October 2015, and has accelerated introduction of the A319neo ahead of the re-engined A321 variant.

In the short term Frontier says it is in the midst of a "low cost project" to add two seats to its A319 fleet for a total of 138, and expects to complete the programme by the end of the current quarter.

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, May 6th 2011 16:16Z, last updated Friday, May 6th 2011 16:16Z

A Wizzair Airbus A320-200, registration HA-LPT performing flight W6-3141 from Bucharest Baneasa (Romania) to Rome Ciampino (Italy) with 146 people on board, ingested a bird into an engine (V2527) while in the initial climb out of Baneasa's runway 07. The crew levelled off at 2000 feet and returned to Baneasa's runway 07 for a safe landing about 14 minutes after departure.